Back to the cinema
Dean Wilson, UK CEO and VP International at Active International, on how information and content overload could be the saviour of a medium not conducive to media multi-tasking…
According to trend forecasters we are experiencing a desire to disconnect yet be connected. With an estimated exposure of 3,000 communication messages per day advertisers are tasked to work harder and smarter than ever before to get noticed and get us engaged.
Content overload
With UK smartphone penetration at 39%, Facebook passing the one billion user mark and tablets in 11% of households the way we work, play, consume and communicate has changed forever.
A staggering three quarters of us watch TV while on a second device and with more channels and more content, disconnecting has never been harder. The impact of this is that we edit, filter and ignore not only more frequently but with much more ease.
Ironically it is this information and content overload that could be cinema’s saviour. With few distractions (bar picking the wrong film and falling asleep) cinema viewing is not conducive to media multi-tasking, offering the ultimate immersive experience, which has the potential to work as hard for the advertiser as the film.
The advertising proposition is actually very simple – deliver a clear message that connects with your desired audience and stimulates them to action. The challenge lies in the sheer volume of ways to execute this and our modern malaise distraction over attention is the biggest hurdle for advertisers.
Cinema to the rescue
Cinema’s strength lies in the overall experience, the anticipation, impact and escapism. On average we visit in a party size of three to four people – just a selection of our (average) 229 Facebook friends. It is proven that the nature of the medium sees cinemagoers experience greater engagement and recall of the commercial messages with a proven average rate of return on investment (RROI) of £2.84 and up to £4.80 for food and drink.
On the 28 September 2012 Digital Cinema Media, responsible for around 80% of the UK cinema advertising market, finally came through on their name and said goodbye to celluloid, converting the majority of their estate to digital.
Over 3,000 projectors have been digitally converted with the capacity to generate 70,000 weekly playlists, a far cry from the previous week’s total of just 3,000. Alongside Pearl & Dean, who are two thirds of the way through their digital switchover this has come at an eye watering cost to the UK cinema industry of £200 million.
Reduced copy deadlines for advertisers
For advertisers the limitations of weekly block bookings and delivering copy three weeks before exhibition date has been replaced by a significantly reduced five day copy deadline and the opportunity to purchase by day part and spot, if desired.
Across 2011 cinema revenues totalled £169 million with motors, drinks and telecoms all taking a place at the top table. Driving this revenue has been a period of increasing admissions, with 2011 boasting 3.3 million per week, double that just two decades earlier.
A large percentage of this growth has come from a greater breadth of films attracting audiences beyond the traditional 15 to 34 demographic, which has inevitably led to greater demands on the packaged cinema experience.
There is no doubt that long production deadlines have been a challenge for the medium and that booking via weekly blocks must, on occasion, be restricting. However, cinema has brand advocates across a breadth of categories including Procter and Gamble, Heineken and Kellogg’s. Loyal supporters such as Everything Everywhere has increased its cinema spend by almost 75% and Sky’s cinema investment has more than quadrupled in the five years to 2011.
The world is changing
As (Queen) Helen Mirren said: “I can see the world has changed and one must modernise” – and this applies as much to the experience as to the digital offering. With competition from increasingly sophisticated (3D) home entertainment systems, VoD and streaming, cinema is no longer the leader or the owner of the film experience.
Digital technology transforms films, finance, production, distribution, consumption and of course, advertising opportunities but what it doesn’t do is improve the experience. More luxurious seating, ease of booking, choice of snacks – we now expect more and demand more.
For West Londoners visiting ODEON Whiteleys, the food on offer is not only table service but a menu designed by Chef Rowley Leigh. A few hundred miles up the motorway Cineworld Sheffield offers films and Frappuccinos with its Starbucks concession – a move that has seen average retail revenues per admission increase by 20p.
Pushing the boundaries of the viewing experience Cineworld has introduced D Box movement technology, which synchronises the seat movement to the on-screen action and audio, introducing a rather surreal fourth dimension to the latest blockbuster viewing.
Switching off – the impossible dream?
With high quality viewing experiences outside of cinemas the choice as to whether the bi-annual Bond will be at the cinema or after the 16 week and three day window from the theatrical is one increasingly judged by the overall experience. My kids not only expect more but will vote with their laptops.
For film-makers and advertiser flexibility cinema is clearly future-proofing itself by digitising its network, transforming its production, distribution and creative capabilities. The cinema exhibitors need to understand the digital investment is just the beginning, creating welcoming indulgent spaces in which to view the film is integral to the future of the industry in maintaining audiences and therefore advertisers.
In a world where switching off is fast becoming the impossible dream, a visit to the cinema offers two or three hours in our hectic lives where we can truly disconnect – assuming we have switched off our mobiles…